From NBC's Ken Strickland and Carrie Dann
The top Senate Republican negotiator on a tentative deal to extend all of the Bush tax cuts for two years said Tuesday that the compromise proposal has received “general positive reaction” from his GOP colleagues.
Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the chamber's number two Republican, told NBC News that an early-morning closed door meeting to debrief fellow Senate Republicans on the deal was “constructive” and that GOP members agreed that the stalemate over the cuts needed to be resolved.
"Obviously, we don't like the part we think we've had to give," Kyl said of Republican concessions in the negotiations. "On the other hand, it is true that this issue has to be resolved now. And we think it's being resolved -- all else being equal -- in a positive way. So I think, without speaking for all of my colleagues, I can say that there was general positive reaction to the agreement."
Many Senate Democrats object to key provisions in the White House’s deal with GOP negotiators, saying that the president broke a long-standing promise to sunset tax cuts for the most wealthy Americans. “To say that I’m disappointed … is an understatement,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, in a statment yesterday. Even louder cries of protest have come from House Democrats, some of whom have signed on to a letter vowing not to "back down" on the tax debate.
Kyl, who is also the Republican leadership's point man on the START nuclear reduction treaty with Russia, said that passage of the treaty was never part of the tax cut negotiations.
Ratification is one of the White House’s key goals for the lame duck session of Congress.
But Kyl noted that there are still major obstacles that could prevent the treaty from coming to the Senate floor before Christmas, arguing that there is “no way to do justice” to the nuclear security debate in the session’s waning days.
First, he said, the pending tax cut deal can't be passed quickly and will take up valuable floor time before debate and expected passage. The legislation still has to be written and, according to Kyl, key lawmakers still have to sign off on some details.
Secondly, Kyl cited the spending bills that fund all government operations. Some Democrats are pushing for what's called an "omnibus" bill, which bundles all of the spending bills into one large package – likely including a hefty chunk of earmarks. Republicans would prefer to pass a "continuing resolution," which would fund the government at existing levels into the early part of the next session of Congress. If that happens, Republicans will be able to address the budget issue again after the GOP gains control of the House.
"If there is not a pre-agreement on a Continuing Resolution to fund the government and they insist on bringing up an omnibus appropriations bill that will be very divisive and that will take time," Kyl said.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed not to allow any legislation to come to the Senate floor until the tax cut and budget impasses are resolved.
Finally, Kyl said, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's continued attempts to pass bills on Reid's "agenda" before addressing government funding and the tax cuts will also take up time on the floor. Kyl specifically mentioned Reid calling for a vote on the Dream Act (an immigration bill) tomorrow, as well as promises to call up the Defense Authorization bill that includes a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"All of this is why I still believe that there is no way to do justice to a START treaty and all of these other issues prior to Christmas," he said.
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